Marcia Degia - PublisherWriter/director Kyle Patrick Alvarez’s indie film is about a
lonesome, aspiring writer Davy (The Hurt Locker’s Geraghty) who manages
to achieve, possibly every hetro male’s fantasy by being on the
receiving end of a dirty phone call from an anonymous lusty lady. Not
bad for the shy boy who seems to miss the signals of every lady that
tries to come his way.
It starts one night, when he’s alone in a motel room during a tour
around the southwest United States with his more fun-loving,
skirt-chasing brother Sean (O’Neill) to promote his unpublished
book of short stories. Without any real plausible reason, Nicole (voice
of Kathryn Aselton) happens to call his room in search of sex chat and
naturally Davy is only too happy to oblige. Actually, it takes some
doing to get him going. When she asks “ What are you wearing?” he responds: “Clothes, I guess.”
A long distance, steamy phone-sex romance begins right down to some very funny moments of ‘post-coital pillow talk’ over the airways. Davy soon develops an emotional attachment to her even though they have never met and he becomes increasingly obsessed.
They
continue their ‘mobile affair’ throughout the journey and when he
returns home. Based on Davy Rothbart’s autobiographical GQ magazine
article “What Are You Wearing?’’, unfortunately this is when the film
begins to slightly drag. Almost a film of two halves, Easier With
Practice starts off as an interesting road trip movie, certainly quite
unlike any other, and then by the second half, something different.
Predictably, Davy’s increasing obsession with his random caller
prevents him from developing any romantic relationships. Cue a former
girlfriend, Samantha (Moreau), who clearly still has feelings for
him. Thankfully, the film start gaining momentum again in the build up
towards the Davy and Nicole meeting and the subsequent (and somewhat
surprising) revelation of the anonymous caller.
Props to Alvarez for tackling a difficult subject matter with his debut film with complete assurance.
